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How do I express thinking one thing but saying another?


How may I express 'scattered' hair?Word-request to express “teaching only one person”How should I express thisHow to say “person who invites another person” with one word?A verb which used to describe process of problem solving or making something good to differentiate a person involved from others?How to express every 1.5 days?How to express “my name used online”?How to say one street branches from another?What's the word for saying that a limb or body part originates from another?What do you call the act of saying a word for another?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








8















Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?



  1. He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".

  2. He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".

  3. He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.

  4. He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".

  5. He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.

  6. Something else that you would like to suggest.

I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.










share|improve this question



















  • 6





    "Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.

    – Roger Lipscombe
    May 28 at 8:45






  • 1





    Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!

    – Alexander Kosubek
    May 29 at 10:27

















8















Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?



  1. He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".

  2. He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".

  3. He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.

  4. He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".

  5. He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.

  6. Something else that you would like to suggest.

I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.










share|improve this question



















  • 6





    "Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.

    – Roger Lipscombe
    May 28 at 8:45






  • 1





    Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!

    – Alexander Kosubek
    May 29 at 10:27













8












8








8








Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?



  1. He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".

  2. He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".

  3. He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.

  4. He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".

  5. He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.

  6. Something else that you would like to suggest.

I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.










share|improve this question
















Everyone can think inside their head (Without producing any sound from their mouth). What is this called in English?



  1. He says: "This is good." but he internally says: "This is bad".

  2. He says: "This is good." but he internally thinks: "This is bad".

  3. He says: "This is good." but he internally feels that this is bad.

  4. He says: "This is good." but he silently thinks: "This is bad".

  5. He says: "This is good." but he says: "This is bad" inside himself.

  6. Something else that you would like to suggest.

I prefer the colloquial AmE. Slang is okay.







word-request






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited May 29 at 15:37









Toby Speight

1,185515




1,185515










asked May 26 at 21:51









user2824371user2824371

1,04521733




1,04521733







  • 6





    "Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.

    – Roger Lipscombe
    May 28 at 8:45






  • 1





    Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!

    – Alexander Kosubek
    May 29 at 10:27












  • 6





    "Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.

    – Roger Lipscombe
    May 28 at 8:45






  • 1





    Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!

    – Alexander Kosubek
    May 29 at 10:27







6




6





"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.

– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45





"Everyone can think inside his head" -- not everyone reports experiencing an internal monologue, incidentally.

– Roger Lipscombe
May 28 at 8:45




1




1





Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!

– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27





Literally all your examples are explicitly not about thinking without speaking, but about speaking and thinking something different!

– Alexander Kosubek
May 29 at 10:27










5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















43














The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:



"This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.



"This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.






share|improve this answer


















  • 6





    Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

    – David Richerby
    May 28 at 16:46






  • 2





    For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

    – JimmyJames
    May 28 at 16:53











  • @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

    – JMac
    May 28 at 17:25











  • @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

    – Brad
    May 29 at 19:34


















16














Internal monologue




An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue






share|improve this answer






























    12














    Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.




    Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.




    It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.






    share|improve this answer




















    • 4





      "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

      – Acccumulation
      May 27 at 4:20











    • This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

      – javadba
      May 27 at 17:39











    • @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

      – Anthony Grist
      May 28 at 15:41







    • 1





      Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

      – dwilli
      May 28 at 18:45






    • 1





      Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

      – Lambie
      May 29 at 15:41


















    2














    We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).



    Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:




    "This is good," he lied.



    "This is good," he fibbed.



    "This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.



    "This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".



    "This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.



    "This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.



    "This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.







    share|improve this answer






























      1














      I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
      One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
      contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action



      and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,




      I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.







      share|improve this answer

























      • The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

        – dwilli
        May 27 at 2:27






      • 2





        "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

        – Jasper
        May 27 at 4:21






      • 1





        Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

        – TheSimpliFire
        May 27 at 7:24







      • 2





        I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

        – Ian
        May 28 at 6:36






      • 2





        @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

        – Ethan
        May 28 at 7:24











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      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

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      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      43














      The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:



      "This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.



      "This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 6





        Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

        – David Richerby
        May 28 at 16:46






      • 2





        For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

        – JimmyJames
        May 28 at 16:53











      • @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

        – JMac
        May 28 at 17:25











      • @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

        – Brad
        May 29 at 19:34















      43














      The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:



      "This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.



      "This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 6





        Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

        – David Richerby
        May 28 at 16:46






      • 2





        For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

        – JimmyJames
        May 28 at 16:53











      • @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

        – JMac
        May 28 at 17:25











      • @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

        – Brad
        May 29 at 19:34













      43












      43








      43







      The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:



      "This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.



      "This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.






      share|improve this answer













      The most common term for "to think without speaking aloud" is simply "to think." However, if you want to emphasize that the person is having a private thought or a thought that contradicts his words or actions, you can use "to think to oneself," like so:



      "This is good," he says, while thinking to himself that it is bad.



      "This is the worst pie I've ever eaten," he thought to himself, trying his best to look as if he were enjoying it.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered May 26 at 22:08









      NanigashiNanigashi

      1,17459




      1,17459







      • 6





        Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

        – David Richerby
        May 28 at 16:46






      • 2





        For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

        – JimmyJames
        May 28 at 16:53











      • @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

        – JMac
        May 28 at 17:25











      • @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

        – Brad
        May 29 at 19:34












      • 6





        Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

        – David Richerby
        May 28 at 16:46






      • 2





        For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

        – JimmyJames
        May 28 at 16:53











      • @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

        – JMac
        May 28 at 17:25











      • @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

        – Brad
        May 29 at 19:34







      6




      6





      Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

      – David Richerby
      May 28 at 16:46





      Although it's certainly common, I've never liked "think to oneself". We're not telepathic; we can't think to anyone else!

      – David Richerby
      May 28 at 16:46




      2




      2





      For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

      – JimmyJames
      May 28 at 16:53





      For colloquial AmE "think to oneself" is definitely the answer here: "What a Wonderful World" lyrics

      – JimmyJames
      May 28 at 16:53













      @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

      – JMac
      May 28 at 17:25





      @DavidRicherby I think it makes sense in some contexts but in general is probably just idiomatic. The contexts where it might make sense is when you use quotes around what the person thought, but don't want to confuse it with thinking out loud.

      – JMac
      May 28 at 17:25













      @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

      – Brad
      May 29 at 19:34





      @DavidRicherby though people do say "...and I'm just thinking out loud..."

      – Brad
      May 29 at 19:34













      16














      Internal monologue




      An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.




      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue






      share|improve this answer



























        16














        Internal monologue




        An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.




        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue






        share|improve this answer

























          16












          16








          16







          Internal monologue




          An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.




          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue






          share|improve this answer













          Internal monologue




          An internal monologue, also called self-talk or inner speech, is a person's inner voice which provides a running verbal monologue of thoughts while they are conscious.




          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered May 27 at 4:18









          AcccumulationAcccumulation

          2,28018




          2,28018





















              12














              Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.




              Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.




              It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.






              share|improve this answer




















              • 4





                "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

                – Acccumulation
                May 27 at 4:20











              • This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

                – javadba
                May 27 at 17:39











              • @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

                – Anthony Grist
                May 28 at 15:41







              • 1





                Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

                – dwilli
                May 28 at 18:45






              • 1





                Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

                – Lambie
                May 29 at 15:41















              12














              Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.




              Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.




              It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.






              share|improve this answer




















              • 4





                "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

                – Acccumulation
                May 27 at 4:20











              • This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

                – javadba
                May 27 at 17:39











              • @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

                – Anthony Grist
                May 28 at 15:41







              • 1





                Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

                – dwilli
                May 28 at 18:45






              • 1





                Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

                – Lambie
                May 29 at 15:41













              12












              12








              12







              Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.




              Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.




              It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.






              share|improve this answer















              Sometimes we say a person 'keeps their thoughts to themself'. This means that they have a thought about something but they don't want others to know what their thought is.




              Although he disagreed, he kept his thoughts to himself.




              It usually means that the person deliberately chose not to share their thoughts, not that they just didn't bother to say anything.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited May 28 at 15:52

























              answered May 27 at 4:05









              dwillidwilli

              2,5021418




              2,5021418







              • 4





                "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

                – Acccumulation
                May 27 at 4:20











              • This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

                – javadba
                May 27 at 17:39











              • @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

                – Anthony Grist
                May 28 at 15:41







              • 1





                Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

                – dwilli
                May 28 at 18:45






              • 1





                Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

                – Lambie
                May 29 at 15:41












              • 4





                "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

                – Acccumulation
                May 27 at 4:20











              • This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

                – javadba
                May 27 at 17:39











              • @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

                – Anthony Grist
                May 28 at 15:41







              • 1





                Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

                – dwilli
                May 28 at 18:45






              • 1





                Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

                – Lambie
                May 29 at 15:41







              4




              4





              "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

              – Acccumulation
              May 27 at 4:20





              "themselves" or "themself" is more standard than "their self".

              – Acccumulation
              May 27 at 4:20













              This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

              – javadba
              May 27 at 17:39





              This is the best answer - though you should consider to apply the correction from @Acccumulation 's comment

              – javadba
              May 27 at 17:39













              @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

              – Anthony Grist
              May 28 at 15:41






              @dwilli Because the only purpose of comments is to improve posts themselves, not to externally clarify things. You should make the correction and then flag the comment as no longer being necessary. If you feel that strongly about them receiving credit, you can acknowledge them in the answer.

              – Anthony Grist
              May 28 at 15:41





              1




              1





              Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

              – dwilli
              May 28 at 18:45





              Yes, it's awkward, because we're using the pronouns 'they' and 'them' to refer to a single person to try to be gender neutral. This is a difficulty recently introduced into English. Previously we would have used 'he' and 'him' for the case when the gender was unknown. I don't think the English speaking community has agreed on a good solution yet.

              – dwilli
              May 28 at 18:45




              1




              1





              Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

              – Lambie
              May 29 at 15:41





              Yeah, well, frankly, it's all beyond me. There is also the long, long tradition of using themself in other contexts. Everyone should do it themselves. Ughh. :) Cheers. The problem with gender neutral is the plural. How do you distinguish between a singular gender neutral person and a group of them??

              – Lambie
              May 29 at 15:41











              2














              We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).



              Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:




              "This is good," he lied.



              "This is good," he fibbed.



              "This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.



              "This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".



              "This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.



              "This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.



              "This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.







              share|improve this answer



























                2














                We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).



                Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:




                "This is good," he lied.



                "This is good," he fibbed.



                "This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.



                "This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".



                "This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.



                "This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.



                "This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.







                share|improve this answer

























                  2












                  2








                  2







                  We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).



                  Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:




                  "This is good," he lied.



                  "This is good," he fibbed.



                  "This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.



                  "This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".



                  "This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.



                  "This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.



                  "This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.







                  share|improve this answer













                  We call it a lie or a fib when someone says something that they don't think is true. Usually lying is bad, but not necessarily if it is a minor lie in a social context that doesn't harm anyone (for example, telling someone that their potluck dish is good even if you didn't like it), in which case we would call it a "white lie" or a fib. It's also a common superstition to cross your fingers out of sight (behind your back or under the table) to invalidate something you say (it also can mean you are wishing for luck, so be careful!).



                  Here are a bunch of colloquial ways to tell your aunt that her pie was good when it wasn't:




                  "This is good," he lied.



                  "This is good," he fibbed.



                  "This is good," he said, while thinking the opposite.



                  "This is good," he said, mentally adding the word "not".



                  "This is good," he said, hoping she wouldn't hear the lie.



                  "This is good," he said, crossing his fingers under the table.



                  "This is good," he said, mentally crossing his fingers.








                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered May 28 at 19:22









                  user3067860user3067860

                  51426




                  51426





















                      1














                      I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
                      One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
                      contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action



                      and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,




                      I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.







                      share|improve this answer

























                      • The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

                        – dwilli
                        May 27 at 2:27






                      • 2





                        "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

                        – Jasper
                        May 27 at 4:21






                      • 1





                        Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

                        – TheSimpliFire
                        May 27 at 7:24







                      • 2





                        I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

                        – Ian
                        May 28 at 6:36






                      • 2





                        @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

                        – Ethan
                        May 28 at 7:24















                      1














                      I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
                      One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
                      contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action



                      and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,




                      I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.







                      share|improve this answer

























                      • The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

                        – dwilli
                        May 27 at 2:27






                      • 2





                        "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

                        – Jasper
                        May 27 at 4:21






                      • 1





                        Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

                        – TheSimpliFire
                        May 27 at 7:24







                      • 2





                        I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

                        – Ian
                        May 28 at 6:36






                      • 2





                        @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

                        – Ethan
                        May 28 at 7:24













                      1












                      1








                      1







                      I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
                      One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
                      contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action



                      and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,




                      I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.







                      share|improve this answer















                      I found two derogatory words that might be suitable for this context.
                      One is a formal word, duplicity, which means
                      contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action



                      and the other one is a colloquial word. two-face,




                      I thought Kaila was my friend, but it turns out she talks shit about me behind my back, what a two-face.








                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited May 28 at 7:25

























                      answered May 26 at 22:31









                      EthanEthan

                      272




                      272












                      • The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

                        – dwilli
                        May 27 at 2:27






                      • 2





                        "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

                        – Jasper
                        May 27 at 4:21






                      • 1





                        Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

                        – TheSimpliFire
                        May 27 at 7:24







                      • 2





                        I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

                        – Ian
                        May 28 at 6:36






                      • 2





                        @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

                        – Ethan
                        May 28 at 7:24

















                      • The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

                        – dwilli
                        May 27 at 2:27






                      • 2





                        "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

                        – Jasper
                        May 27 at 4:21






                      • 1





                        Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

                        – TheSimpliFire
                        May 27 at 7:24







                      • 2





                        I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

                        – Ian
                        May 28 at 6:36






                      • 2





                        @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

                        – Ethan
                        May 28 at 7:24
















                      The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

                      – dwilli
                      May 27 at 2:27





                      The colloquial noun 'two-face' comes from the adjective 'two-faced', which is a fairly standard usage.

                      – dwilli
                      May 27 at 2:27




                      2




                      2





                      "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

                      – Jasper
                      May 27 at 4:21





                      "Two-faced" implies that the person says one thing to one audience, and says (or implies) something else to a different audience.

                      – Jasper
                      May 27 at 4:21




                      1




                      1





                      Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

                      – TheSimpliFire
                      May 27 at 7:24






                      Perhaps refrain from using the Urban Dictionary as a source. It is not always reliable and can be a farm for trolls, not to mention the plethora of vulgar language in word definitions.

                      – TheSimpliFire
                      May 27 at 7:24





                      2




                      2





                      I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

                      – Ian
                      May 28 at 6:36





                      I don't think your answer fits the question. Two-face has a very negative connotation and while it fits OP's example, I think OP was looking for a more neutral term. Duplicity, in my opinion, is a bit too general and also implies some kind of bad intention.

                      – Ian
                      May 28 at 6:36




                      2




                      2





                      @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

                      – Ethan
                      May 28 at 7:24





                      @ Jasper @Ian I think you're right. OP was looking for a neutral word and I'll declare that these two words are derogatory as additional information for the topic.

                      – Ethan
                      May 28 at 7:24

















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